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^ PEEP INTO PSYCHOMANCY, 

—OR THE— 



PRO AND CON 



OF- 



MODERN^WRITISM 





By D. B.Turney. 



MAI^FIELl), OHIO. 

HERALD STEAM PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT. 

1878. 



A PEEP INTO PSYCHOMAWCY, 



—OR THE— 



PRO AND CON 



-OF— 



MODERN SPIRITISM. 




By D. B. Turney. 



MANSFIELD, OHIO. 

HERALD STEAM PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT. 

1878. 



. or- 



MODERN SPIRITISM. 



Modern Spiritism has been brought 
into public notice* so often, that the 
present attempt to deal logically with 
the principles and assumptions of this 
form of necromancy, may scarcely 
cause a ripple in the great sea of opin- 
ion ; yet I shall endeavor to make my 
observations useful to those who are 
in quest of truth. * * * * 

If there be one unanswerable argu- 
ment in favor of the system which I 
am to investigate, the thousands of 
difficulties and objections which may 
be urged against the system, ought not 
to be deemed sufficiently strong to set 
it aside. Modern psychomancy if sup- 
ported by but one conclusive argu- 
ment, will survive all possible objec- 
tions which may be brought against it. 

Permit me to remark that 

THE ORIGIN OF SPIRITISM 

In this country, does not date very 
many years back. According to the 
account which is generally accepted 
and circulated by the friends of this 
method of divination, the new philos- 
ophy (for so they style it) was born in 
the year 1848, at Hydesville, near Ro- 
chester, New York. 



Two young ladies who resided with 
their parents in that village, were the 
first to exhibit any marks of medium- 
ship. These two young ladies, Mar- 
garetta and Kate Fox — the former 
then fifteen and the latter twelve years 
of age— were frequently disturbed by 
knockings from various parts of the 
house, by something like a dog lying 
at the foot of the bed, by a cold hand 
felt on Kate's face, and by other unac- 
countable events. 

The statement is made in the papers 
and books published on behalf of psy- 
chomancy, that the various strange 
transactions which took place aston- 
ished and alarmed the whole Fox fam- 
ily. The manifestations were some- 
times of a violent character. Differ- 
ent articles of the household furniture 
were thrown with frequency and 
roughness from their places, as if by 
the power of invisible hands. Glass- 
ware was unceremoniously smashed, 
and the attention of the neighbors was 
attracted by the untoward circumstan- 
ces. 

On March 21st, 1848, the unseen vis- 
itant manifested understanding. * * 



Kate stepped oat on the floor, and coal ; and finally, human hair, and 
snapping her finger from her thumb, boues which anatomists—what ones- 
exclaimed, " Old Splitfoot, do as I do!" we know not and are not told— said be- 
The invisible intruder instantly mim- longed to a human skeleton. It is 
icked the noise. Kate, astonished be- singular that the spiritists do not pro- 
yond measure, cried out, "If you un- duce the bones and the affidavits of 
derstaud what I say, will you tbump some persons who were present at 
and shake the table?" Instantly there the disinterment I And it is equally 
were three loud thumps, and the table singular that this account of the Hydes- 
shook as if it had an attack of the ague, viile origin was allowed to drop until 
This led the girls to desist for awhile some years after those great events 
from experimenting. They were too had transpired I Soon reports were 
much afraid ; but their mother was po- circulating as mysteriously as spurious 
sessed of more boldness. According to money, about messages coming from 
account, she continued to investigate, the unseen state to the Fox girls. The 
but could get no additional light until sisters began to make a stir in the 
she had persuaded her daughters to world, and the newspapers opened 
overcome their timidity and join with their columns to articles pro and con. 
her in probing the mystery. Finally, In almost every community into which 
they were favored with the informa- the news was heralded, some persons 
tion, rapped out by the spirit as the ai- on the qui vive for a new philosophy, 
phabet was called over again and immediately avowed faith in spirit rap- 
again, that the manifestations were by ping. The wish is father to the 
a departed human spirit, who announ- thought with some people. It was so 
ced that he had been the father of five then. It is so now. Some silly fish 
children ; that his name was C. B. will bite at almost any kind of bait. 
Rosma ; that while engaged in his oc- Many people will go miles to attend a 
cupatioh as a pedlar, he had been circus, who would not go two hundred 
murdered in that house by a black- steps to hear a sermon. And after a 
smith named J. C. Bell ; that his re- time, people began to visit Rochester 
mains were buried ten feet deep in the to learn for themselves. The cravings 
cellar, etc. * * * Of course, of morbid curiosity demanded satisfac- 
these statements rest upon the testi- tion, as the injured party does in a 
mony of publications made in behalf law-suit. Kate and Margaretta were 
of Spiritism, and there cannot be a safe in great demand. Presently, with a 
superstructure on an unsound and hoi- strict eye to business, they began to 
low foundation ! We are gravely told charge a small admission-fee, to remu- 
by prominent necromancers, that the nerate themselves for the trouble of 
news produced wonderful excitement so many consultations. " The love of 
among the people, so that multitudes money is a root of all evil." A con- 
flocked to see and hear; that such ex- tagious disease spreads rapidly. Raps 
cavations were made, from time to were soon heard in other places, and 
time, as the water in the cellar would as converts to the new philosophy 
admit of. After digging down five increased, pecuniary success began to 
feet, plank was found ; deeper still, crown the claimants of mediumship. 
quicklime, crockery pieces and char- The result has been that mediums 



have multiplied rapidly, uot only here some examples of men entrapped wit!) 

but in other lands. that sort of unsubstantial thing. Pre- 

Dr. Hare, who has written a book tenders to science are quite ready to 

entitled " Spiritualism [he means Spir- embrace anything which makes a 

itism!] Scientifically Demonstrated," show of being founded on a scientific 

assures his readers that his "spirit fa- basis, and such characters are very 

ther" tells him that Hydesville was anxious to see a thorough change in 

chosen because of the ignorance there a H things. Any Utopian project en- 

prevalent-^a left-handed compliment lists their support, 
to the inhabitants,-and that a mur We are illformed of mauy and _ 

dered man's spirit was selected to pro- in 
duce a more intense interest. I may ' ,, 

, , , , . ■, ... "DEMONSTRATIONS," 

add that a murdered man generally 

figures in modern works of fiction for Produced by intelligent invisibles. 

the same purpose. * * * * An d these manifestations are said to 



be "so well attested that few persons 
risk an unqualified denial of their 
production." What can be more nat- 
ural than for a false religion to invest 
itself in a plausible garb ? In short, 

psychomancy is claimed as a better 
cur, why have the friends ot psycho- .. . ., .. , 94 . 

™ ' L,^ i ,,„_ .^ v*l ^ religion than any other, and its advo- 



The soap bubble will be sure to break 
at some time. A house must meet 
the fate of its foundation. False colors 
are doomed to fade. A lie cannot 
long survive. If these things did oc- 



mancy failed to produce the bones and 
the anatomists who are said to have 
examined them ? And what has been 
the occasion for keeping from general 



cates say it comes nearer proving it- 
self. "If I bear witness of myself, my 
witness is not true." These spiritists 
assert that the many and varied phases 



notice the reported origin of their sys- „ ... ... , ,. , , . 

, , & • m „ , . of spirit manifestations demonstrate 

tern for a number of years? There is , ., .. . , , . , ... ■ „ .. 

,,.,,,, , , • , ,- both the existence and identity of th e 

something behind the bush, and that . ., ,. mu . T , , , 

„ . . Lt . . ' c ~ _, spirit operating. This I deny and de- 

somethmg is not the spirit of C. B. : ,t_ , m , , .. » • .-. 

& r mand the proof. Table tipping, furni- 

osm ' ture flinging, music making in mid air, 
spiritistic claims noises of various kinds, speaking and 
Are very enticing and attractive. We writing unknown tongues, improvi- 
are told that the new philosophy is a sing, inspirational speaking and writ- 
true religious system — precisely what ing, furnishing spirit visions, prophetsy- 
a Latter Day Saint would say to you, ing, revealing facts, exposing frauds 
in behalf of his base Mormon creed; and errors, explaining mysteries, heal- 
that all its theories and doctrines are ing the sick, opening blind eyes, un- 
founded upon scientific principles ; and stopping deaf ears, materializing, pre- 
that it is to introduce a new condition senting apparitions, handling and 
of society upon earth, to be marked kissing persons in the earth-life a la 
by a radical and visible change in all mode " Katie King," carrying infor- 
things. Whatever may be said of birds mation, embracing and orally speak- 
young and old, it is not safe to assume ing to different persons, and produc- 
that human beings cannot be caught ing phenomena even more startling 
with chaff; for every age furnishes than all the wonders yet alleged, 



would not, so far as I can see, establish 
the identity of a single spirit. Sup- 
pose these claims are attractive ! Does 
not every delusion present itself with 
as many allurements as possible? 
When, in all the range of history, did 
ever a delusive creed show its face un- 
veiled with large pretensions? The 
pettifogger is more pretentious than 
the lawyer. The quack is more boast- 
ful of his skill in medicine than the re- 
liable physician. The pretender to 
science is more anxious to acquire 
public applause than the genuine phil- 
osopher. The plausibility of any error 
is the only thing that renders it dan- 
gerous. And indeed, this structure of 
psychomancy is built upon a 

GROUNDWORK OF SOPHISTRY, 

As I shall be at the pains to evince. 
This is not quite as good a foundation 
as the sands of Palestine would afford. 
After perusiDg many tedious volumes 
of spiritistic literature, I have failed to 
find any clear and conclusive reason- 
ing, any well-defined and elevating 
growth in intellectual conception. 
When I read the Bible, I do find some 
benefit to result from the perusal, al- 
though it refuses to flatter and cajole 
the pride and the laziness of human 
nature, and requires me to toil long 
and patiently to master its unfold- 
ments. At the same time, it expands, 
illuminates and elevates my mind, giv- 
ing me a grasp on the subtleties of na- 
ture and the peculiarities of spiritual 
existence both in and out of the body. 
The very reverse is the general effect 
of spiritistic literature on my mental 
powers. I find therein that there is 
an evident attempt to naturalize spirit 
by wearying speculations, which if 
once admitted would merely serve to 
contract and reduce all the subtleties 



of nature and peculiarities of spiritual 
existence to the narrow limits of the 
senses, thereby forcing a greater degree 
of similarity between this world and 
the next than does or can exist, and 
having a tendency to culminate in 
Atheism. The Bible is clearly supe- 
rior to all the works that I have seen, 
bearing on the question of the future 
life. Yet a large proportion of avow- 
ed believers in Spiritism, will not hes- 
itate to reject and denounce this won- 
derful volume. * * * * 

I will now take up the first plank in 
the 

NECROMANCER'S LOGIC, 

And examine the soundness of the 
timber composing it, ere I permit my- 
self to be spiritized into a follower of 
psychomancy. It is this : 

"Departed human spirits return and 
produce these wonders ; and if you 
doubt or disbelieve it, you may tell us 
by what these wonders are produced." 

1. This is like saying to a man born 
blind, water is the color of ink ; and if 
you think it is not, you may tell what 
it is like. Surely there is not much 
wisdom in those Spiritistic lecturers 
who travel about the country, saying, 
"If you do not admit that spirits pro- 
duce these marvels, you may tell us 
what it is that produces them." 

2. I once heard Benjamin Todd, in a 
lecture at Salem, Oregon, describe 
some unlikely occurrences, which he 
claimed to have witnessed with his 
own eyes (as if he could witness 
them with anybody else's!); and he 
added, "These works were done by re- 
quest of Mrs Floy, the medium, who 
did not touch any article herself. If 
then, the spirits did not produce these 
phenomena, tell us how they were per- 
formed." It would completely disgrace 
a lawyer to employ such a plea to a 



jury. It would be a lasting reproach 
to the bar and to the eourt. Mr. A. 
has been found dead. This fact is 
known. If the prisoner at the bar did 
not murder him, you may tell who did! 
Yes, gentlemen of the jury, the mur- 
der was committed ; that is certain, 
and I demand, therefore, a verdict of 
guilty against the prisoner. If B. G. 
did not kill Mr. A., tell us who did! 
Such an attorney would never have 
another such case to prosecute. Yet 
his sophistry would be of the same 
kind an'l quality as that which An- 
drew Jackson Davis, Benjamin Todd 
and "Prof." Wm. Denton, see proper 
to employ in their defences of spiritism. 
If such assertions as they make are in- 
spired by any spirits, who shall say that 
they do not make these random hits 
under the influence of alcoholic spirits? 

3. A person's inability to explain 
the marvels of psychomancy, no more 
proves the new philosophy than the 
circumstance of the appearing in the 
east and disappearing in the west 
proves that the sun runs around 
our globe. It is very wrong for a hu- 
man being to refer an effect to a false 
cause, to avoid an admission of inabil- 
ity on his part to discern the true and 
real cause. Want of knowledge as to 
the genuine and actual reason for any 
occurrence, will not justify any one to 
assign a false cause of his own fabrica- 
tion. 

4. We are not justified, because a 
tree grows, in judging that it has bones 
and blood ; yet bones and blood are al- 
ways necessary to animal growth. 
Neither are we justified in assuming, 
even if raps and all the other pheno- 
mena occur, that departed spirits have 
anything to do with their production. 
And we might as well try to settle a 



question of history by mathematical 
tests, such as infidels use in their ef- 
forts to mythify our Saviour, as to un- 
dertake to demonstrate spiritism with 
Dr. Hare's awkward contrivances. To 
show the ineonclusiveness of such reas- 
oning, I will agree to prove that Ab- 
raham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin 
were the very same personage, by ap- 
plying to this historical question the 
rule of mathematics and of logic, 
"that things equal to the same thing 
are equal to each other." "A" is 
merely the idiomatic adjective of 
"one," in our English and American 
mode of expression, as, I didn't say 
two men, but I said a man. He re- 
ceives a dollar a day, or six dollars a 
week. Admission to this lecture is 
twenty-five cents a person, or fifty 
cents for two. "Abraham Lincoln" 
has five syllables and fourteen letters, 
which is to a T the number also in 
"Hannibal Hamlin." Count and see. 
"A" occurs three times in each name, 
and "B" once. The mythical key, 
(C, O, R,) is found but once, of course, 
and only in the leading name; but 
there are seven distinctive letters — A. 
B, H, I, L, K, and N— found in both 
names. On account of the three let- 
ters, C, O, R, in "AbRaham LinCOln" 
which are omitted in "Hannibal Ham- 
lin," as "O" is a triple time-mark, 
(see Webster 1 s Dictionary,) we have the 
seven distinctive letters of the two 
names to multiply by three— the myth- 
ical key-number— which shows (21) 
twenty-one, as the number which is to 
be added to the numerical value of 
"N," to find the numerical value of 
"O" in "LincOln," Webster says "N," 
as a numeral, denotes 900. As twenty- 
one added to numerical worth of "N," 
gives that of "O," we find "O" to 
equal 921. But, to cut the matter short, 



8 



let us go to Webster's Dictionary for 
the numerical force of B, 0, H, I, L, 
M, N and R Then we have : 

A=l, B=2, C=100, H=200, 1=1, 
L=50, M=1,000, N=900, 0=921, and 
R=80. * * * • 



B 


o 


A 


1 


R 


80 


N 


900 


A 


1 


N 


900 


H 


200 


I 


1 


A 


1 


B 


2 


M 


1000 


A 


1 


L 


50 


L 


50 


I 


1 


H 


200 


N 


900 


A 


1 


C 


100 


M 


iooe 


o 


921 


L 


50 


L..... 


50 


I 


-.. 1 


N 


900 


N 


900 



4207 



4207 



Abraham Lincoln is 4,207, and Hanni- 
bal Hamlin is also 4,207. Thus I have 
proved, that Abraham Lincoln and 
Hannibal Hamlin were one and the 
same, since •' tilings equal to the same 
thing are equal to each other." 

5. Let us not act on the principle 
of the little boy who lost a ball of 
twine, and not knowing what had 
gone with it, went to his mother with 
the complaint that his sister had taken 
it. Investigation on the heels of such 
report developed that a pet kitten was 
the aggressor, and the sister was 
cleared of the unfounded charge. The 
boy received the rod of correction, and 
richly deserved it, too. A man may 
be aware that the spirits of the departed 
have nothing to do with any of so-call- 
ed "demonstrations," and yet be un- 
prepared to show or explain what 
causes them. A shrewd pretender 
could go among the savages of the 
west, where the true character of thun- 
der is unknown, proclaiming to his ig- 
norant auditors that the thunder is the 



rumbling of the chariots of the celes- 
tial hostsoverthe pavements of heav- 
en, and that the lightning is produced 
by the flashing sparks that fly from 
the iron hoofs and flinty pavements, as 
the swift chargers of the sky go rushing 
and plunging into battle. Yet the cred- 
it given to his lies would not make 
them true in any relation or particu- 
lar. 

6. If I were to approach some poor 
blind man and assure him that the 
sun was a creamy substance and ?uita- 
ble for food, he would not be qualified 
to judge the truth or falsehood of the 
statement. And it would be a very 
unfair advantage for me to take over 
the poor man's ignorance to say to him 
that he must either agree that I am 
right in the matter, or else tell me 
what the sun is like and what it is 
good for. Yet along comes " Profes- 
sor " William Denton, or some other 
Boston Spiritist, and undertakes to ar- 
gue his creed in similar style : "The 
wonderful phenomena are produced by 
disembodied human spirits to "benefit 
mankind, and now you must either 
admit that this is the case, or else tell 
how and why all these things are pro- 
duced." I have too much confidence 
in the intelligence of my hearers to be- 
lieve, even for a moment, that such 
other-world sophistry can ever spiritize 
one of them into a follower of psycho- 
mancy. 

The publications in behalf of modern 
spiritism claim that certain individu- 
als commune with departed human 
spirits, who reveal through these me- 
diums the duty and destiny of the hu- 
man family, and show themselves the 
identical spirits they profess to be, by 
feats which prove their identity. Now, 
is this true ? 



The fact that these wonderful claims with my departed friend; but they 
are urged upon us by every spiritist in afford me ground for concluding that 
the land, is no evidence to me of the my deceased friend has been misrepre- 
truth of modern necromancy. A claim sented. 

is more easily made than sustained I ^ Wel ]et [ t be su d that the 

might claim to be president of the Uni- commuDications come to me through 
ted States, but the claim would be mi- & writingmedium who appears to have 
founded. A beautiful snake maybe no agency in the contents of the same, 
poisonous. with the chirography exactly like that 

Now, then, for an examination of of my friend. To make the case as 

strong as possible, let these communi- 
spirit identity. cations he carefully compared with the 

1. Let it be supposed that I hear letters which were written by my 
raps, which are professedly made by a friend during my intimacy with him. 
dear departed friend.. How am I to The letters are alike in shape, stroke, 
know that these raps are not made by formation, — the lines are in perfect 
some arch-deceiver, who pretends to agreement,— his orthography is the 
be my dead friend to gain, my confl- same in every particular, and the very 
dence and the more surely effect my shading of his letters has undergone no 
ruin ? The necessary limitations of change whatever. Am I convinced of 
the human mind ought to be kept in the fact that the communications are 
memory. Besides, there is sufficiently really from the spirit that purports to 
manifest a cogent reason to distrust be communicating with me? By no 
whatever appears under suspicious cir- means. I do not know that spirits 
cumstances. I neither see the spirit would write the same as they did whi^e 
nor hear his voice, and these raps and in the flesh, or that spirits cannot imi- 
thuds are slow methods of communi- tate any and every hand, or even that 
cation. And although the raps give spirits write at all. And when I med- 
true answers to the questions I ask, itateon the remarkable successes of 
and various articles of furniture at my forgery the world over, I cannot deem 
request tumble about and return to any or all of such writings any suffic- 
their respective places, I must necess- ient proof of identity. Let it first be 
arily remain unconvinced. Shall I evinced that spirits can write at all* 
judge the character of the spirit from let it next be evinced that spirits do 
the outward manifestations? He be- not imitate any and every handwriting 
haves like some clownish maniac. And at pleasure; and finally, let it be evin- 
this affords me ground to infer that ced that spirits would write the same 
the operating agent is not the spirit of they did during their sojourn in the 
my departed friend ; for, during, his flesh. Then let it be actually ^stab- 
stay in the earthlife, he never was lished that the communication is gen- 
known to act in so unbecoming a way. uine — id est, in the sense of not being 
It can not be claimed that the raps, a forgery. When all this has been ac- 
knockings and feats of disturbing fur- complished, there will still be suffic- 
niture, are any sufficient proofs of the ient room to doubt the identity of the 
identity in question. Such feats by no spirit said to be communicating— ai- 
means prove the identity of the spirit though, it is hardly necessary to add, 



10 

all this has never yet been done. Are uesses to the most secret transactions 

these writings a sufficient evidence of between my friend and me. And if 

identity ? Surely no discriminating spiritism be without foundation, yet 

and logical person will answer in the there is Bible authority for admitting 

affirmative. the existence of angels that never 

have been in the flesh. May not 

3. Let it be supposed that an appari- thousands of these have seen the most 

tion presents itself to me in the form Wdden things that could occur between 
of my deceased friend-a materialized my friendg and me? And . f anaffirm . 
spirit, if you choose. I would still be ative aD9Wer mU8t be given, a revela- 
in doubt ; for it is a legitimate eonclu- tion of a of thege private matterg? 
sion that spirits who can assume visi- bowever , icit in d ^ taiIj canuot 
ble forms, clothing and all, can appear amount to a proof of identity on the 
in any form whatever. The itevil pRrt Qf tfae spirit communicating . The 
comes as a serpent-angel of light- fect tf thftt tfae suspicious circum . 
Samuel, &c. But if such were not the stances connected wjth alIeffed spirit 
case, it is well known to us all, that communications, the nature^of the or- 
physicians report many cases in which dinary phenomenai the unbe coming 
disordered minds labor under various character of the maDy feats that are 
hallucinations. It is a mark of wis- generally performed, the liability of 
dom for a man to hesitate to assume maD tob e imposed upon, and oumon- 
upon the soundness of his own mtel- acquailltance with the fundamental 
lect. A personal apparition, therefore, laws of any spirit existing apart from 
under any circumstances of which I the body) ren(jer |t utter]y impossible 
know, never could establish the ident- |fa my judgmeDt to satisfy a reasonable 
ity of a spirit. On seeing such an ap- mind of the identity of a spirit And 
parition, I would be likely to suspect yet)Unless the champioDS of psycho- 
my own sanity of mind ; but when re- mancy (who hftve discarded the Bible 
assured that my intellect nad not fal- idea of „ faith „ } do prove the identity 
len into decay, I would not see any- of gome spiri t engaged in the wonder- 
thing in the apparition that I could re- M sceneg of psychomancial actioil , the 
gard as proving the identity of the whole system of modern 8piritism 
spirit of my departed friend. Indeed, mugt be abandoned as UDtena ble. For, 
I am not so well posted as to be able to Jn tfae eyent thftt tQe actual agency 
tell how many spirits are present all could be shown to be spirits, what good 
the time with any of us. Suppose that man of prQper prudence would dare to 
I am addressed by the apparition that foUow gpirit teachingS) when there are 
comes in the similitude of my dead go maQy wicked ghostSj and D0 possi . 
friend, I have nothing to satisfy me We tQ satisfy a reaS0Dable mind of 
that the communication is from his the j dentity of a spiri t. * • * 
departed spirit, even when the tone of 

voice is precisely his own, to all intents ghostology against spiritism. 
and purposes. And as for being in- 
formed of things and matters known Be not startled at the language. I 
only to my friend and me, if spiritism use the phrase advisedly. I now ad- 
has any foundation whatever, thou- vance the proposition that old- 
sands of spirits may have been wit- fashioned and departed ghostology 



11 



possessed a superiority to new- 
fashioned and modern psychomancy ; 
not that lam any apologist for those 
who believe in ghosts and goblins. I 
merely wish people to understand why 
I consider past exploded ghostology to 
be less absurd than the present sheer 
psychomancial materialism; and this 
J may do without believing in either 
ghostoiogy or psychomancy. I do not 
wish my hearers to infer that there is 
any disposition on my part to believe 
the superstitions of the old ghostology; 
for I am not so prone to credulity. But 
I may be permitted to show that the 
old system was superior in many re- 
spects to the new. 

1. The ghostly visionism of ages 
gone, did partly spiritualize nature ; 
but modern psychomancy commits the 
awful blasphemy of naturalizing spirit. 

2. Old-fashioned ghostly visitants 
divulged crime, and preached retribu- 
tion and judgment to come, while 
modern spirit communicants babble 
about electro-spiricity, progress, phys- 
ical laws, spirit affinity, and a new 
light. 

3. In the old ghostly legend w^s an 
element of religious accountability, 
and amidst all the thick darkness of its 
gross superstitions, the moral predom- 
inated over the physical. The old 
ghost stories did cultivate and enhance 
the religious awe of the imagination ; 
but the new psychomancy, which ex- 
ists under the name of spiritism, does 
not ever do this. Taking all the facts, 
then, just as we find them, for we may 
not hew and shape facts to suit our- 
selves, and we are obliged to admit the 
inferiority of psychomancy to ghost- 
ology, and the believer in ghosts and 
goblins is found to have a more ra- 
tional and intelligent belief than the 
believer in Modern Spiritism has. * * 



4. In former times pork -eaters could 
see and dream about ghosts. While in 
these days those who would be 
favorite spirit-mediums must abstain 
from flesh in general, and particularly 
from pork and bacon. I have never 
met an accepted champion of modern 
spiritism who was in favor of eating 
flesh as food ; but I do find that many 
well-regarded expounders of this new 
necromancy are warmly opposed to 
flesh as food, and are unswerving 
friends of vegetable diet. For the ben- 
efit of those who have wondered why 
so many modern spiritists are around 
telling the evil effects of flesh as food, 
I unriddle an important item in the 
arcana of the new philosophy. Ad- 
vanced spiritists are very generally 
agreed that all animals are immortal 
which is reason enough why they 
should abstain from flesh ; for who 
would willingly cause the hurrying of 
spirits into eternity? It is a fact well 
known that the spirits of birds and an- 
imals have been iuvoked at rapping 
circles ; and not only so, butcommuni- 
tions have been received with as much 
promptness as when the spirits of dead 
people have been called upon. How 
ever, if these creatures possess the 
power to communicate intelligently 
after they leave the body, how strange 
they are so backward in inventive 
faculty while in the rudimental state ! 
And if the communication comes in 
the name of and purporting to be from 
these animals, when some other spirit 
is communicating, the possibility of 
reaching proof of the identity of a 
spirit is still farther removed than we 
have been supposing it to be. This is a 
conclusion that forces itself upon my 
attention, and just as far as I entertain 
this conclusion, I find myself logically 
compelled to reject the teaching and 
practice of modern spiritism. 



12 



5. If even the most superstitious 
votaries of old-fashioned ghostology 
believed in the ghosts of birds and an- 
imals, the world is not aware of it. 
What must bethought then, of modern 
psyehomancy? Can any body deny 
that it is more debasing in its tenden- 
cies than any other known creed ? 

I remember that after I had, on one 
« occasion, enumerated a long train of 
^ the evils' caused by the spead of psych- 
omancy, a celebrated necromancer 
stated that he could retort that Chris- 
tianity frequently produces like results. 
If that were true, it would not be a :<y 
plea for psyehomancy; but it is not 
true. The natural tendency of Chris- 
tianity has always been to produce 
good results, while the reverse is found 
to be the case with psyehomancy. In 
no instance within my knowledge has 
psyehomancy had a tendency to pro- 
duce good results. The insanity to 
which it has led, the criminal inter- 
course which it has brought about, the 
ruin and devastation which it has 
spread through families and communi- 
ties, the unbridled passions to which it 
has given rise, the manner in which it 
has checked the influence and doc- 
trines of the Bible, and the way in 
which it has thrown open the flood- 
gates of infidelity and rationalism, are 
solemn warnings of the danger that 
attends it. 

To my mind, at least, it is very clear 
that departed human spirits have 
nothing to do with any of the phenom- 
ina; for after attentively reading var- 
ious spiritistic effusions, I have noted 
that statements of the same spirit, 
through different mediums, are very 
conflicting details in their and conclu- 
sions ; that the published revelations 
from the inhabitants of the unseen 



state, are, from first to last, the com- 
plete echoes of the views held by the 
various mediums: that the spirits 
always endorse, or at least never con- 
tradict, the peculiar views and opinions 
held by the medium through whonj 
they may be communicating ; and 
that the messages appear to be just 
about as sensible as the medium, or 
just about as ignorant. All of which 
facts suggest very forcibly that electro- 
animal magnetism is one of the prin- 
cipal agencies at work. 

It is evident to my apprehension that 
departed human spirits have nothing 
to do with the alleged phenomena, and 
take no stock in such proceedings. As 
neither the rich man nor Lazarus 
could return to earth, I am not pre- 
sumptious enough to conclude that 
other departed human spirits are more 
highly privileged. I find traces of a 
different order of created intelligen- 
cies better fitted lor the work of min- 
istering spirits; but that any of this 
order, called angels, can become visible 
or give tangible signs without special 
aid from God, is not an established 
proposition. I.am aware that spiritists 
who profess to have any respect for the 
Bible, have been industriously striving 
to convey the impression that all the 
angels of the Bible history were hu- 
man spirits. They have utterly failed 
to find proof. There are but two pas- 
sages in the Bible which even so much 
as seem to apply the term angel to a. 
disembodied human spirit; and all 
other passages claimed as so applying, 
are urged on grounds beneath the no- 
tice of serious critics. The two texts 
are these— the angel that came to John 
in Patmos, and said, " I am thy fel- 
low servant," and the place where the 
disciples, startled by Peter at the gate, 
exclaimed, ** It is his angel." BuS 



13 



neither passage, when critically ex- 
amined, will afford the needed proof. 
The angel that appeared to John in 
Patmos, said. "lam a servant with 
thee, — sundoulos, and with the 
prophets, and with them that keep the 
sayings of this Book." The words of 
.the orignal will admit of this transla- 
tion, as well as they will admit of the 
rendering in the common version. This 
text, then, fails to prove that the angel 
in question was a human spirit, since 
the angel Gabriel could have used 
with propriety the same words, as be- 
ing a servant of God, as was John, and 
as were the prophets also, and all 
others that keep the commandments 
of God. The other passage is equally 
unfortunate as a proof-text. When 
Peter came to the gate, the brethren 
said, " It is his angel." They had no 
idea that Peter was dead ; they merely 
supposed that he was still locked up 
in the dungeon, where he had been 
placed a few hours before. The case is 
plain. Believing that every person 
was constantly attended by a special 
guardian angel, these people thought 
that Peter's angel, his messenger, had 
come to forewarn them that Peter 
would shortly be slain. They cer- 
tainly did not understand Peter's own 
spirit to be his angel, inaftnuch as they 
knew that Peter was not dead. It is 
very certain that the spirits of the 



saved are in heaven, or paradise, in 
the enjoyment of the rest prepared for 
them that love the Lord. They are 
not rambling around our world and 
tipping tables. As a man at death 
does not take himself to heaven, so 
neither can he take himself away from 
there back to earth. There is no 
foundation for the assumption that the 
angels of the Bible were human spirits. 
Those persons who believe in the pos- 
sibility of seeing ghosts, aie the people 
who see such things; and there are 
always some people who are supposed, 
by those who believe in witches, to be 
fearfully bewitched. Every false con- 
ception has a corresponding vagary. 
But the light of advancing science has 
ousted very many of these vagaries of 
the mind, by routing and overthrow- 
ing their bastions of shadowing dark 
ness, and Will in due time put to flight 
the vagrant ghosts that materialize 
under the order of mediumistic associa- 
tions. When the shadows are driven 
away by the uprising dawnings of 
effulgent truth, the ghosts that men 
see flitting around those shadows will 
also vanish as well. 

The pro and con of Modern Spiritism 
will most undoubtedly all be found to 
rest in the knotty skeins of the funda- 
mental sophisms, which I have been 
here to unravel. 




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